Protecting the Roseate Spoonbill

ITS PLUMAGE AND ESTIMATED TO THE POINT WHERE BY THE 1930'S THERE WERE BELIEVED TO JUST BE 30 BREEDING PAIRS LEFT OF THE BIRDS IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. PROTECTIONS WERE PUT IN PLACE AND OVER THE DECADES, THE NUMBERS HAVE REBOUNDED. WELL, NOW EFFORTS CONTINUE TO SUPPORT A BIRD POPULATION VITAL TO FLORIDA'S COASTAL ECOSYSTEM. >> FOR MORE ON THE ROSEATE SPOONBILL, WE ARE JOINED BY SEAN. IT SAYERS. SHE IS AWAITING BIRD RESEARCH SPECIALIST AT AUDUBON'S EVERGLADES RESEARCH STATION. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. MS AYERS. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING. >> NOW, IT IS VERY INTERESTING TO SPOONBILLS ARE THE ONLY NATIVE SPOONBILL TO FLORIDA. WHAT MAKES THESE BIRDS SO SPECIAL? >> YEAH, THEY AS YOU SAID, ARE THE ONLY NATIVE SPINDLE TO FLORIDA AND THE AMERICAS AND UNLIKE MANY OTHER WADING BIRDS, THEY HUNT PRIMARILY THROUGH TECHNICAL TACTICAL FORAGING, WHICH MEANS THEY FEEL AROUND USING THEIR SPIN SHAPE BILL TO FIND FISH AND OTHER PREY SPECIES. THEY'RE PAYING WHAT EVERYONE LOVES PINK BIRD. YEAH. I THINK THEY'RE ONE OF THE MORE RECOGNIZABLE BIRDS IN AMERICA. AND IT'S JUST ALWAYS A PLEASURE. WE SEE THEM OUT. THEN THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL. >> BY THE 1930'S, THEY WERE ALMOST HUNTED TO EXTINCTION MAINLY FOR THEIR PLUMAGE. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHAT EFFORTS WERE MADE NEARLY 100 YEARS AGO THAT HAS INCREASED THEIR NUMBERS. >> YES, SO SOME CONSERVATION EFFORTS THAT REALLY HELP THEM BENEFIT AND INCREASE THEIR NUMBERS WOULD BE THE MIGRATORY BIRD ACT THAT WAS PASSED IN 1918, PUBLIC DESIGNATED NESTING EFFORTS AND PROTECTIONS FOR THESE BIRDS. IN KIND OF A CHANGE IN SOCIETAL ATTITUDE TOWARDS WILDLIFE, MORE APPRECIATION. AND THIS RESEARCH AND OTHER CONSERVATION EFFORTS KIND OF HELP THEM SLOWLY GAIN AND REBOUND AND THEIR POPULATION. >> A RECENT REPORT FROM FLORIDA BAY SHOWED SOME INCREDIBLE RESULT. IT MENTIONED THAT THERE'S A 66% SUCCESS RATE IN NESTING AMONG 22 ACTIVE COLONIES. THAT IS THAT'S REMARKABLE. HOW HAS THAT BEEN ACCOMPLISHED? >> YES, SO THIS YEAR WE HAD A REALLY GREAT TEAM. WE HAD A LOT OF EFFORT OUT THERE GOING OUT EVERY 7 TO 10 DAYS TO CHECK UP ON THE NEST THAT WE WERE MONITORING AN FROM THERE. WE WOULD FOLLOW THOSE TICKS THROUGH DEVELOPMENT AND SEE IF THEY EVENTUALLY GET TO FLEDGING, WHICH IF AT LEAST ONE CHICK FROM EACH NEST MAKES IT, THEN THAT IS CONSIDERED A SUCCESS. AND SO WE HAD OVERALL 244 NECESSARY MONITORING AND 239, WE WERE ABLE TO DECIPHER WHETHER THE NEST WAS SUCCESSFUL OR A FAILURE. AND FROM THAT, WE GOT OUR 66% SUCCESS RATE. >> THE NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY IS FIRST DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH ROBERT PORTER. ALLEN HAD TO FIND UNIQUE WAYS TO STUDY THESE BIRDS. AND I UNDERSTAND HE SPENT WEEKS IN A TENT AMONG THEIR COLONIES. HOW HAS THAT APPROACH CHANGED AND EVOLVED INTO HOW YOU'RE ABLE TO TRACK AND RECORD THE SPECIES TODAY? YEAH, ROBERT PORTER, ALLEN. >> YOU GOT TO GIVE HIM CREDIT. I CAN'T IMAGINE SLEEPING WITH THE MOSQUITOES OUT THERE. BUT YEAH, HE DID A LOT FOR MONITORING BIRDS IN GENERAL. WE DO SIMILAR YET DIFFERENT IN THAT. WE DON'T CAMP OUT THERE, BUT WE'RE STILL GOING OUT ON THE GROUND AND SEARCHING FOR THESE NEST AND GETTING IN THE MANGROVES CRAWLING AROUND. SO IT IS VERY SIMILAR. BUT THERE'S ALSO SOME OTHER TACTICS THAT WE'RE LOOKING INTO SUCH AS GPS TRACKING TO MONITOR THEIR NORTHWARD MOVEMENT. >> BESIDES CHECKING NUMBERS, WHAT CAN YOU LEARN FROM THE RESEARCH OF BIRDS LIKE THE ROSEATE SPOONBILL? AS FAR AS HOW THEY PROVIDE A SNAPSHOT OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE ECOSYSTEM. >> BRUISES BEEN VOLS ARE AN INDICATOR SPECIES, WHICH CAN TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HEALTH OF IT SURROUNDING ECOSYSTEM. THE EVERGLADES IS A VERY COMPLEX SYSTEM. SO WE WROTE IT SPOONBILLS TO MONITOR ITS HEALTH. ROSIE HAS BEEN BILLS DEPEND ON SPECIFIC WATER HEIGHTS THAT HAVE PREFERENCE CONCENTRATION THAT ALLOW THEM TO FORAGE AND FEED THEIR CHICKS. SO BY MEASURING THEIR NESTING SUCCESS, WE CAN SEE THE FLOW DOWN OF THE WATER FROM THE EVERGLADES IS AT A BASIS THAT CAN ALLOW FOR SOME AQUATIC VEGETATION AND CRAYFISH CONCENTRATION. SO KIND OF IN THE SIMPLER TERM. IF THE SPOONBILLS ARE DOING WELL, THEN THERE'S PROBABLY SOMETHING ELSE IN THE EVERGLADES ECOSYSTEM THAT IS NOT. >> NOW, IF ANYONE LIVES NEAR A SPOONBILL NAST, IS THERE ANYTHING THEY SHOULD BE AWARE OF TO HELP KEEP THE SPECIES DOING? WELL? >> ALWAYS GIVE THEM SOME SPACE. THEY HAVE A LOT OF PERSONALITY AND THEY'RE VERY FUN TO WATCH. BUT MAKE SURE YOU DO SO FROM A DISTANCE AND GIVE THEM THE PROPER TIME AND SPACE THAT THEY NEED TO FORAGE AND RAISE THEIR YOUNG. WE ALSO HAVE A LONG-TERM BANDING PROGRAM. SO IF YOU EVER SEE IS BEEN BILL WITH A COLD LAKE BAND. TAKE A PICTURE AND MAKE SURE TO REPORT IT THROUGH OUR GOOGLE FORM AND YOU ALSO RECEIVE A LIMITED EDITIONS, BENTONVILLE STICKER IN THE MAIL. >> WHERE CAN PEOPLE GO TO FIND MORE ABOUT ROSEATE SPOONBILLS AND AUDUBON FLORIDA. >> YES, GO TO THE NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY WEBSITE SPECIFICALLY AUDUBON, FLORIDA ROSEATE SPOONBILLS AND YOU'LL FIND THE LINK THERE. >> WELL, YOUR WORK IS VERY IMPORTANT. AND WE CERTAINLY APPRECIATE YOU TAKING TIME TODAY TO SPEAK WITH US. THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> ACCORDING TO THE AUDUBON SOCIETY, YOUNG, THE SPOONBILLS MAY LEAVE THE NEST AFTER 5 TO 6 WEEKS AND THEY'RE CAPABLE OF STRONG FLIGHT AT ROUGHLY 7 TO 8 WEEKS FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WILDLIFE AND OUR ENVIRONMENTAL COVERAGE. MAKE SURE TO VISIT WGCU DOT ORG.